Share

Preserving fertility and origins of disease focus of briefings at international meeting

PITTSBURGH, July 14 – Chronic diseases in adulthood, causes of infertility, the impact of genetics on reproduction – all are influenced by what happens in the womb, affecting well-being over a lifetime. Research on these and related topics will be presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), July 18 to 22, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. This year's meeting – Science for the Public Good – will bring together 900 of the world's leading experts to discuss the latest research findings on the molecular control of reproduction and the impact of nutrition, obesity and environmental exposures on reproductive health.

To accommodate media, a press room will be located in Room 312 of the Convention Center and will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, July 20, and Tuesday, July 21, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, July 22. During the meeting, the phone number for the press room will be (412) 352-2886. Press briefings will be held on Monday, July 20, and Tuesday, July 21. Reporters may participate via telephone conference call by dialing 800-937-0301 (from within the U.S. and Canada). From other countries, call +1 303-248-9679. To be connected to the briefing you must enter access code 6489725. Abstracts featured in press briefings are available at the links provided below.

The press briefing topics are as follows:

MONDAY, JULY 20
11:30 a.m.

Preserving Fertility: Causes and Solutions

Although assisted reproductive techniques have made it possible for some infertile couples to have children, many others remain childless and still others may have become infertile as a result of cancer treatment. Studies are revealing information about defects in human germ cell development that cause infertility as scientists explore new approaches to modulating the formation of these cells. Other approaches include cryopreservation, a process by which cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures, which has played a major role in assisted reproductive technologies for mammals. But, can these methods also be applied to humans, perhaps especially relevant to protect and preserve fertility in young cancer patients prior to treatment? These approaches raise not only basic science questions, but complex bioethics issues for both providers and parents.

Participants:
Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., Northwestern University, Abstract Number 118
David F. Albertini, Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center, Abstract Number 116
Renee A. Reijo Pera, Ph.D., Stanford University, Abstract Number 117

Moderator: Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., Washington State University and 2009 SSR program chair

TUESDAY, JULY 21
11:30 a.m.

Does Adult Disease Begin in the Womb?

Synergy among genes and the environment puts people at risk for disease, and many of these changes may occur during early fetal development. According to animal and epidemiological research, maternal nutrition (lack of proper nutrients and low protein and high fat diets) and exposure to environmental contaminants can affect embryo development and cause eventual disease in offspring much later in life. Indeed, these factors can have negative and long-lasting effects by causing changes in the expression of genes in the developing fetus that reverberate for a lifetime.

Participants:
Linda C. Guidice, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco, Abstract Number 55
Kjersti Aagaard-Tillery, M.D., Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Abstract Number 17
Kelle H. Moley, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, Abstract Number 2
Kevin Sinclair, Ph.D., University of Nottingham, Abstract Number 3
Tom Fleming, Ph.D., University of Southampton, Abstract Number 4
huk-mei Ho, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Abstract Number 73

Moderator: Asgerally T. Fazleabas, Ph.D., University of Illinois College of Medicine and 2009 SSR president

Other research that may be of interest to news media includes:

• Making Sausage: When Science Meets Politics in the Process of Chemical Policy Reform
  John Peterson Myers, Ph.D., Environmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, Va., Abstract Number 112

• The Embyro Comes Knockin' – Mama's Response and How to Study It
  Fuller Bazer, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Abstract Number 202

• Developmental Exposure to Estrogens and Uterine Disease Later in Life
  Wendy Jefferson, Ph.D., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Abstract Number 70

• Exposure to Bisphenol A Inhibits Ovarian Follicle Growth and Hormone Production in the Mouse
  Jodi Flaws, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Abstract Number 639

The Society for the Study of Reproduction was founded in 1967 to promote the study of reproduction by fostering interdisciplinary communication among scientists through conferences and publications in the organization's journal, Biology of Reproduction. The organization's president is Dr. Fazleabas; program committee chair is Dr. Hunt; and chair of the local organizing committee is Tony Plant, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

NOTE TO EDITORS: To register as press, please contact Clare Collins at collcx@upmc.edu or (412) 647-3555. For access to all abstracts being presented, visit http://www.biolreprod.org/content/vol81/1_MeetingAbstracts/.

Share

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.